CHAPTER VII. THE GOVERNMENT OF THE MARQUIS DE VAUDREUIL,—continued. DESPITE the hostile conflicts in the New World, France and England were still nominally at peace. Contrary to all political conjecture, France made no reprisals for the capture of the Alcide and the Lys, the two men-of-war taken off the St Lawrence by Boscawen, and tamely saw three hundred of her trading vessels, laden in many cases with valuable cargoes of West India produce, and manned by eight thousand seamen, captured and carried into the ports of England. France felt her inferiority. at sea, and had flattered herself that the anxiety of George II. for the safety of his German dominions, would prevent him from adopting any vigorous measures, notwithstanding her encroachments in America. the numerous captures of French vessels soon taught Louis XV. that no dependence need be placed on the promises and peaceable professions of the British ministry, and he unwillingly prepared for war. Both Great Britain and France now sought to strengthen themselves by new alliances, and to make preparation otherwise for the approaching contest, which threatened to involve all Europe. France began hostilities by the invasion of Minorca, and war was soon after formally declared by both countries.* But 1756. In the New World the campaign opened with far the best prospects on the side of the French, in a military point of view. They held undisputed possession of the valley of the Ohio and the great west; Niagara and Toronto had been strengthened, as well as Fort Frontenac; and their flag floated over Lake Ontario in almost undisputed sovereignty; while Crown Point and Ticonderoga gave them the supremacy on Lake Champlain. In addition to these ad-. vantages three thousand regular troops, a hardy militia already trained to war, and numerous tribes of friendly Indians, ever ready to range * Russell's Modern Europe, vol. ii. p. 447. themselves on the side of the stronger party, constituted a much more formidable military power than the British colonies, with their jarring interests, and independent commanders, could pre sent. But, while apparently formidable in military strength, Canada was woefully deficient in all the genuine materials of warfare, when compared with her Anglo-Saxon rivals. New England alone had more men capable of bearing arms than her entire population, which now numbered scarcely eighty thousand souls, while the united British colonies boasted of nearly three million inhabitants. It is true that the British settlers, like their descendants of the present day, were men of peace, and much better fitted by choice and habit for the occupations of commerce and agriculture than for the military life. Still, they possessed all the qualities which constitute the true soldier-energy, courage, and endurance, and needed only union, discipline, and the right kind of a leader, to drive their rivals single-handed from this continent. On the other hand, the Canadians were poor in purse, and suffering from a scarcity of food. Their union and military training gave them the advantage in the beginning of the contest; their want of numerical strength and the necessary resources ruined them in the end. The British colonies presented the aspect of a free self-governed people, grown rich and populous by their intelligence, their industry, and their love of justice. Canada exhibited the spectacle of a military settlement, ground down by the exactions. of a feudal land tenure, dishonest public servants, and knavish commercial monopolies. The ice of winter had still firm hold of the rivers of Canada, when De Vaudreuil opened the campaign, by detaching Lieutenant De Lery, on the 17th of March, with two hundred and fifty-nine French and eighty Indians, to capture some small forts, which he learned had been constructed on the road to Oswego for the protection of convoys proceeding thither. One of these posts, garrisoned by twenty men, was captured after a stout resistance and blown up. The obstinacy with which the little garrison had defended themselves, and the loss of some of their warriors, so exasperated the Indians that they scalped and murdered them all, with the exception of two men, who were saved with difficulty by De Lery. Three hundred men were also despatched from Fort Frontenac, under Captain De Villier, with instructions to establish themselves at some favourable point in the vicinity of Oswego, and inflict all the injury possible on stragglers from its garrison, or on convoys proceeding there, and if possible to capture the fort itself by a sudden assault. De Villier erected a small stock aded fort in a dense part of the forest, where he hoped to remain. unperceived. But it was soon detected by a scouting party of Iroquois, who became not a little alarmed at this unauthorised occupation of their territory. By the advice of Sir William Johnson, they sent a deputation to remonstrate with De Vaudreuil at Montreal, and to request him to demolish the fort. This he refused to do but told them if they remained neutral, and would not join the British, that he would protect them from every insult. After promising to pursue this course, they departed homewards laden with rich presents. No sooner had De Vaudreuil dismissed the Iroquois deputies than he took prompt measures to strengthen the detachment under De Villier, and also for the capture of the British armed vessels, which now began to appear on Lake Ontario. While thus engaged a large body of troops arrived at Montreal under the command of FieldMarshal Montcalm, the Chevalier De Levi, and Colonel De Bourlemaque, three brave and experienced officers. After remaining a few days at Quebec, to make himself acquainted with the condition of matters there, Montcalm directed three regiments of regular troops to proceed to Montreal, whither he departed in advance to confer with the Governor. He highly approved of the measures the latter had taken with respect to Oswego, and directed Bourlemaque to push forward to De Villier's camp with a reinforcement, and take the chief command. Having completed these arrangements he proceeded to Ticonderoga, on the 27th of June. Here he remained making preparations for the defence of the frontier, and endeavouring to procure accurate intelligence of the movements of the British at Albany, till the 15th of July, when he set out on his return to Montreal. To De Levi and three thousand men he left the protection of Crown Point and Ticonderoga, and the maintenance of French supremacy on Lake Champlain and the Richelieu. From Montreal he hastened to Fort Frontenac to make preparations for the capture of Oswego. While thus all was vigour and action on the side of the French, delay and indecision characterised the operations of the British. Lord Loudon being detained by business in England, Major-General Abercromby was ordered to precede him, and hold the chief command till his arrival. This officer brought out with him the 35th and 42d regiments, and found himself at Albany towards the latter end of June. Abercromby deemed the force under his command too weak to carry out the extensive plan of operations which had been sketched out by Shirley and the other colonial officers; and, desirous to avoid responsibility, resolved to await the arrival of the commander-in-chief before undertaking any important operations. Meantime, he marched the Provincial forces. upon Fort William Henry, under the command of General Winslow, preparatory to the proposed movement on Crown Point and Ticonderoga. While the bulk of the army thus remained in idle inaction, Lieutenant-Colonel Bradstreet, with a detachment of raw Irish recruits, conducted a large convoy of provisions in safety to Oswego. De Villier pushed forward from Sackett's Harbour, with seven hundred French and Indians, to intercept him, but losing his way in the forest he did not reach the Onondaga River till after the convoy had safely passed down its course. Bradstreet, fearing an attack on his return, divided his canoes and boats into three divisions, with an easy interval between, so that if his advance was attacked the men behind might push for the bank of the river, and meet the enemy on equal terms. Gallantly posting himself in the first canoe, he left Oswego on the 3d of July, and had only advanced nine miles up the stream, when suddenly a sharp volley, and the wild war-whoop of the savage, rang through the forest. The first fire fell with deadly effect upon the leading division, yet Bradstreet did not lose his presence of mind, and made for an island, which twenty of the enemy, however, dashing through the water, gained before him. He had not a dozen men with him, still he boldly faced his foes, and quickly drove them from the island. The remainder of his first division speedily arriving, made his strength up to twenty men, who bravely beat back a fresh attack by twice their number. The enraged French now made a third onset with seventy men, who, after a desperate hand-to-hand conflict on the island, were repelled by Bradstreet and his gallant little band. Meanwhile, the boatmen of the second and third divisions had landed, formed in good order, and pushed forward to the assistance of their hard-pressed comrades. After a desperate struggle the French were completely routed, leaving a hundred of their number dead; and seventy prisoners, with a large quantity of fire-arms, in the hands of their conquerors. On the other hand, the Irish boatmen had sixty killed and wounded in this fiercely-contested action. Bradstreet arrived at Schenectady on the 4th of July, and the fol lowing day proceeded to Albany, to warn Abercromby that Oswego was menaced by a large French force. The general at once gave orders for the 44th regiment to hasten to its relief, but owing to the interference of some of the Provincial governors its march was delayed. Lord Loudon joined the army on the 29th of July, and still no active measures were taken. Montcalm having completed all his arrangements for the siege of Oswego, departed from Fort Frontenac on the 4th of August, and arrived on the evening of the same day at Sackett's Harbour, the general rendezvous of his army, which amounted to more than three thousand men. On the 9th his vanguard arrived within a mile and a half of Oswego; on the night of the 10th his first division also came up. The second division followed shortly after, and at midnight on the 12th he opened his trenches against Fort Ontario, which crowned a height on the opposite side of the river from Fort Oswego, and completely commanded the latter. From the following daybreak till evening the fire of the garrison was well kept up, when their ammunition becoming exhausted, they had no alternative but to spike their guns, and retire across the river to Fort Oswego. The abandoned fort, which contained eight guns and four mortars, was immediately occupied by Montcalm, who now continued his parallel down the river side, where a breaching battery was speedily erected, and next morning, at six o'clock, nine guns poured a destructive fire at point blank range against Fort Oswego. At eight o'clock, Colonel Mercer, its commanding officer, was killed; and at ten, although its fire was still much superior to that of the French, the besieged hoisted a white flag and offered to surrender, much to the astonishment of Montcalm and his officers. The garrison, consisting of Shirley's and Pepperell's regiments, and a detachment of Schuyler's regiment of militia, was about seventeen hundred strong, and lost one hundred and fifty in killed and wounded during the brief siege, or shortly afterwards, when thirty men attempting to escape through the woods, were massacred by the Indians. The French had eighty killed and wounded. Over sixteen hundred prisoners of war, including one hundred and twenty women, were sent down the St Lawrence, and the colours of the captured regiments for a brief space decorated the walls of the churches of Montreal, Three Rivers, and Quebec. One hundred and twenty cannon and mortars, six sloops of war, two hundred boats, and large stores of ammunition and provisions, with £18,000 in coin, fell to the conquerors.* This was a most fortunate victory for Canada, and established the already rising reputation of Montcalm; but he stained his triumph by permitting his Indians to plunder many of his captives, and to slay Smith's * Doc. Hist. New York, vol. i. pp. 488-497. Conquest of Can., vol. ii. pp. 51-54 Bancroft's Hist. United States, London Edition, vol. iii. p. 169. Hist. Can., vol. i. pp. 243, 244. |